Shadowed (35 page)

He shoved Megan out of the way and squatted next to Kaylan, the gun pointed at her
chest. “I have an itchy trigger finger. Now tell me who is following us.”

Kaylan's head snapped up, and she strained to see around him. He yelled and yanked
her up with him, pulling her back against him and pointing the gun at her head. “I
know the SEALs are challenging target practice. But I'm an excellent marksman. And
I have bested one before.”

Kaylan saw the glint of moonlight on the side of a boat before it disappeared in
the darkness. She strained to listen. Another speedboat perhaps.

Dmitri whirled her around and ran his hands up and down her body, patting her pockets.
“How did you tell them, huh? How did they know?” His face turned purple when he found
nothing on her, and he pushed her back to the deck.

“Maybe your precious Anya sold you out,” she spat. “Did you really think you could
take us without retribution? You just ticked off an entire community of Navy SEALs.”

His foot connected with her already sore ribs, and she bit back a cry. Wincing, she
rolled out of his way as he thundered back to the wheel and shouted instructions.

Megan helped her back onto the seat, the sea spray drenching them. “Do you think
it's them?”

Kaylan squinted in the darkness, unable to make out anything. “He thinks it is. Maybe
they made it back. Maybe it's the Feds. I don't know.”

Megan stared at Kaylan in awe. “Maybe there is something to this praying thing.”

“True. But we're not out of this yet.” Her mind began ticking again with possibilities.
“Still have that screwdriver?”

Megan lifted her shirt slightly to show Kaylan the tool. “You thinking what I'm thinking?”

Kaylan nodded. “One of them comes close again, you use it.”

Megan's eyes glowed black. “Nothing like a kidnapping to turn a pacifist into a fighter.”

The boat behind them veered into sight, moonlight glinting off its white sides. Kaylan's
heart jumped as she recognized Jay's boat. Relief flooded her. They were going to
get out of this.

“Woohoo, Lover Boy and his sidekicks arrive to save the day,” Megan cheered, the
sight of the SEAL team bolstering her spirits.

Dmitri let loose a string of expletives before motioning one of the men to take care
of Megan and Kaylan while he joined the driver and began yelling over the sound of
wind and waves. Megan tensed and slipped her hand beneath her shirt, retrieving the
screwdriver. Kaylan moved closer to her as Megan hid the weapon in the space between
them on the seat. Kaylan felt her trembling.

Lord
,
please
,
help.

The man grabbed a piece of rope from the deck and reached for Kaylan's hands, binding
them together with lightning speed. Kaylan winced as the ropes dug and chaffed her
tender skin. Glancing at Megan out of the corner of her eye, she mouthed one word,
“Now.”

Megan threw her body forward, shoving the screwdriver into the man's leg. He let
out a cry of rage as he lost his balance.
Without waiting, Kaylan grabbed his shirt
and propelled him forward, Megan helping as they shoved him into the sea. He tumbled
once on top of the water before disappearing. The boat behind them swerved to miss
him. One down. Two to go.

Dmitri cried in rage, glancing behind him at Megan and Kaylan. With a jerk of his
hand the driver forced the boat to pick up speed.

Megan tugged at the ropes binding Kaylan's hands, pulling them free. Just as the
rope slipped from Kaylan's hands, Megan screamed and jerked backward. Kaylan's heart
stopped.

“You are more trouble than you're worth,” Dmitri screamed over the wind. He held
Megan tight against him, his hand yanking a handful of her hair. Megan whimpered
as Dmitri pulled his knife free from his belt and brought it to her throat.

“Say good-bye.”

Just as Dmitri tightened his grip on the knife, a shot fired. Kaylan hit the deck.
She heard a scream and a splash. Megan and Dmitri were gone.

Her brain felt like a foggy mess as she stumbled to her knees. Jay's boat slowed,
and the distance lengthened between them. In the moonlight Kaylan watched two bodies
dive overboard. She stifled a sob. Would they find Megan? Had she been shot?

The distance and the darkness made it impossible to see the events unfolding behind
her. She forced herself to focus on escape. She whipped her gaze back to the man
driving the boat. They'd maneuvered closer to the coast, and Kaylan caught a glimpse
of a mansion embedded in a cove.

The drop-off. If she entered that house, she might never come out. She could no longer
discern a boat behind them. She was on her own. Even if the SEALs came, she didn't
have time to wait.

She clenched her fists, still feeling the rope gripped in her fingers. Goosebumps
danced up and down her arms, and her hair whipped in her face. Her fingers felt stiff
from the cold and nerves.
Could she overpower this guy and take over the boat? He
glanced warily back at her, a gun within reach.

She had to try. She wouldn't disappear without a fight.

She remembered Nick's instruction that anything and everything could be a weapon.
Wrapping the rope around her fists, she pulled it taut and studied the man. About
five foot ten. Wiry build. Cagey eyes. No emotion. She'd have a fight on her hands
for sure, but Nick had taught her to leverage what she could. Praying for strength,
she began to crawl toward the front of the boat, trying to balance against the speed
of the boat and the wind ripping past her.

Taking a deep breath, she shot to her feet and charged the last few steps, throwing
her arms around the man's neck, the rope pulled tight. He gagged, struggling to hold
his balance. She jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling
back on the rope with all her strength. The rough strands bit at her hands, but she
held on.

His hand flew backward, grabbing a handful of hair and yanking. She screamed but
tightened her grip. She had too much to lose. The boat careened into the cove and
Kaylan panicked, worried they would crash. The man gurgled and whipped the wheel,
sending the boat back into the waves in the open sea. A wave rocked over the side
of the boat, sending shivers of fear over Kaylan. If they didn't crash, they might
capsize. She wasn't sure which she preferred.

Kaylan doubled her efforts as the man grabbed his gun. Though he choked, she couldn't
seem to leverage her weight enough to knock him out. A boat zipped into view and
pulled even. Micah stood at the wheel with Nick leaning over the side.

Nick. Kaylan realized her grip had slipped a second too late. The man yanked her
head to the side again, his gun tilted backward. It fired close to her head, and
she dropped from his back. Her head rang. Her stomach heaved. Everything moved in
slow motion. And somewhere nearby Nick yelled.

A pair of dark eyes closed in on her face. His breath smelled like liquor. He said
something indiscernible, raised the butt of the gun, and connected with her head.

Pain shot through her skull as the world faded to black. The last thing she heard
was the sound of gunfire. Then nothing.

Chapter 44

N
ICK WATCHED THE
scuffle from Jay's boat, his blood boiling as he fought the urge
to have target practice with the man on board, but he couldn't get a clean shot.
When Kaylan jumped the man, he bit back the urge to cheer. Now they had a fight.

“Bulldog, get us close to that boat.”

His best friend gunned the engine and brought them even with the boat. Nick leaned
over the side. The water splashed and frothed, trails from both boats winding behind
them and disappearing into darkness. He dug his boots into the boat, trying to find
traction.

“Hawk, you can't jump!” Micah shouted over the wind. The sea grew choppier the longer
they stayed out, and Micah fought to keep the boat straight.

A gun fired, and Kaylan fell backward.

“Kaylan!”

Their boat rocketed past as the other boat slowed, their speed decreased in the scuffle.
The man turned and smashed Kaylan's head.

“Hawk, jump now,” Micah yelled as he pulled even to the other boat again.

Nick didn't think twice. He leaped right as the other boat accelerated. His gun
tumbled loose and into the water as he hit the deck and rolled, slamming into the
back of the boat. Nick pulled himself onto his knees, taking stock of anything close
to him and hating himself for losing the pistol.

The man driving the boat turned and caught sight of Nick. Nick heard a string of
Arabic before the man pointed the boat to the beach and accelerated. He turned and
pointed his gun down at Kaylan, never transferring his gaze from Nick's. Beads of
sweat formed on the man's forehead. His left hand shook, but his right hand gripped
the gun without hesitation.

The man knew he'd been beaten. He closed his eyes, and dread filled Nick. A martyr.

Nick crouched, took a deep breath, then rushed. Even with a few inches on the man,
he felt like he hit a solid wall. The man's eyes flew open, and he fired a wild shot.
Nick didn't even have time to make sure it missed Kaylan. He used all his strength,
shoved the man through the partial glass windshield, and sent him plummeting over
the side of the boat.

Nick grabbed the wheel and jerked with all his might, but it refused to budge. He
fought the accelerator, but the man had jammed the track, making it impossible for
Nick to slow their speed. He yelled as they narrowly missed a rock. They were going
to hit shore in a matter of moments, and this boat would blow. He was tired of exploding
boats. He signaled to Micah they would need to jump.

Micah maneuvered his boat away, giving them space and slowing in preparation for
removing them. Nick worried about hitting the water at this speed, but they had no
choice. He knelt next to Kaylan.

“Kaylan, baby. Wake up. We gotta jump.” She groaned, blood pulsing from her head,
but her eyes remained closed. Nick glanced up. Four hundred yards from shore and
closing. No time.

He swung Kaylan over his shoulder, her long legs dangling. He shoved himself onto
his feet, fighting the motion of the boat. Digging his feet into the deck with all
his might, he ran and jumped.

His head plunged under water, and he lost his breath. The icy current seized his
body. Kaylan slipped off his shoulder, and he grabbed her around the waist. Kicking
with his remaining energy, he pushed them to the surface, breaking just as an explosion
rocked the beach. He covered her head, shielding her with his body.

Heat seared his back even as the waves carried him farther away from the shore. Kaylan
moaned in his arms, and Nick's stomach dropped. He needed to get her out of the water.
Now.

He scanned the darkness, finally spotting the boat. With a wave and shout, he caught
Micah's gaze and waited as his friend maneuvered closer.

As soon as Micah pulled even, he cut the engine and reached for Kaylan. Nick shoved
her upward into her brother's waiting arms.

Waves lapped at Nick's face, and he spat salt water. Grabbing the side of the boat,
he pulled himself on deck. He landed and rolled, for a moment too tired to move.

“C'mon, sis. You are not allowed to go out on me like this.”

At the strain in Micah's voice, new adrenaline spiked through him. Nick crawled to
where Micah bent over Kaylan on the deck, pumping her chest and blowing air into
her lungs. Her face was deathly pale, and a gash leaked blood on her forehead. He
reached for her fingers. Ice cold.

“Kaylan Lee Richards, you are not leaving me like this.” He pushed Micah out of the
way and began to pump her chest, stopping to breathe into her mouth.
Lord
,
please
don't take her. Not like this. Not yet.

With a shudder she gagged. Nick uttered a cry of relief as he rolled her over. Gasping
and coughing, she threw up seawater.

“Thank You, God,” Micah croaked.

Nick pulled Kaylan into his arms as they shivered on deck. “I love you.” He kissed
her forehead. “I love you so much. Don't you ever do that to me again. The only one
allowed to have near-death experiences from now on is me, got it?”

Kaylan laughed weakly, her voice scratchy from swallowing salt water. “I thought
we were supposed to share everything.”

Nick kissed her forehead. “Not that.”

The sound of another boat engine broke through the slosh of water. “The Feds are
here, Hawk. Looks like they picked up the others.”

“Megan?”

“Jay, Colt, and Titus have her. She's fine. Looks like they caught Dmitri too.”

Kaylan wilted in his arms, tears streaming down her face in relief. “I can't believe
you're here. I can't believe you found us.”

Nick rose up on his elbows to look at Kaylan. He studied every part of her face.
A bruise blossomed on her cheek, and he touched the spot gingerly, anger filling
him at whoever had hit his girl.

“I'm okay, babe. But I never thought I would see you again.”

He cupped her face and kissed her bruise, her cut, then settled on her lips. He kissed
away the terror and a long night of wondering. He kissed away the possibility of
never seeing her or holding her again. They'd made it. And he would never let her
go again.

“Break it up, you two. Save it for the honeymoon.”

Micah grabbed Nick and pulled him off Kaylan. Then he reached for his sister, wrapping
her in a blanket as he pulled her into his arms. She nuzzled into her brother's chest,
her tears flowing unchecked. “We better call home. And just get ready for Mom and
Dad to give you the lecture of your life,” Micah grumbled.

Nick hung his head in relief. Justice at last. They had Janus in custody, had caught
the head of a major human trafficking ring, and hadn't lost the girls in the process.
Regardless of the struggle, he could live with the results.